Fuji X-E1 Indoor Crops

16 MegapixelsElectronic View FinderHigh ISO: ISO 6400 or more is available at full-resolution.Level: Measures camera tilt and helps to keep the horizon level.Continuous DriveFull 1080p HD Video: 1920 x 1080 resolution or more.Manual Controls: Both fully-manual (M) and semi-automatic modes (T and V).Custom White-Balance: Specifies exactly what should be white to the camera.Action Photography: Shutter speeds of 1/1500 or more.Night Photography: Reaches shutter-speeds longer than 4 seconds.Hotshoe: Allows external flash units to be attached.Spot MeteringDepth-Of-Field Preview: Improve perception of DOF before shooting.Accepts Secure Digital Extended Capacity (SDXC), SDHC and SD memory.Neocamera detailed reviewDiscontinued: No longer produced by the manufacturer. May still be in stock or found used.

Indoor Crops

The Fuji X-E1 is compared to the K-5 IIsPentax K-5 II below. While the Fuji is mirrorless and the Pentax is a traditional DSLR, they both feature a 16 MP APS-C CMOS sensor without anti-alias filter but with different designs. The K-5 IIs uses a traditional Bayer filter while the X-E1 uses the Fuji X-Trans 6x6 color-grid. All images below are 100% unmodified crops from their respective cameras. Both cameras were set on aperture-priority mode with fixed ISO. The remaining settings were left on automatic. Cameras were each independently calibrated to deliver optimal image quality.

These crops help determine which ISO sensitivities are acceptable to used on these cameras. Most cameras compensate with noise reduction as noise increases but this introduces softness. The point at which a print becomes unacceptably noisy is a matter of personal taste.

Fuji X-E1

Pentax K-5 IIs

ISO 100

ISO 100

ISO 200

ISO 200

ISO 400

ISO 400

ISO 800

ISO 800

ISO 1600

ISO 1600

ISO 3200

ISO 3200

ISO 6400

ISO 6400

ISO 12800

ISO 12800

ISO 25600

ISO 25600

Despite the same resolution and lack of anti-alias filter on both cameras, the Pentax K-5 IIs produces much sharper output. This can be attributed partly to the lens with the Fuji Fujinon XF18-55mm F/2.8-4R LM OISFuji Fujinon XF18-55mm F/2.8-4R LM OIS lens not being super-sharp compared to the superb Pentax FA 31mm F1.8 LimitedPentax FA 31mm F1.8 Limited. The Fuji demoisaic algorithm may also be the culprit since it has to be completely different. Still, when seen on its own the Fuji X-E1 does very well in a much smaller body.

ISO 51200

Interestingly, this reversed the results seen when comparing the Fuji X-Pro1 and Pentax K-5 last year. The X-Pro1 has the luxury of a sharper prime lens while sharing the same sensor as the X-E1. The K-5 on the other hand, unlike its IIs successor, has an anti-alias filter to soften details.